Last year's Sheriff's Office budget becomes campaign issue for Humb...

In this recession, it should be easy to recruit officers for the jail. But as long as officers can get obscene amounts of overtime, people will see to it that there aren't enough officers to go around. It's that simple.

I think rent-a-cops should be used at the jail before overtime is allowed. It's hardly San Quentin.

Anonymous wrote:

In this recession, it should be easy to recruit officers for the jail. But as long as officers can get obscene amounts of overtime, people will see to it that there aren't enough officers to go around. It's that simple.
I think rent-a-cops should be used at the jail before overtime is allowed. It's hardly San Quentin.

It's often less expensive to pay overtime than it is to hire more corrections officers.

Hislop makes an issue of the Sheriffs office budget versus the District Attorneys.a few questions for Mr. Hislop. When is the last time your office responded to a robbery or a rape at 5:45 a.m. 15 minutes before your off duty.? When is the last time one of your officers was called out at 3:00 a.m. to respond to an emergeny in Shelter Cove?.How many officers do you have in total that often sit around in court on their day off waiting to testify ? This is all overtime that cant be calculated very easily into the budget.Mr. Hislop is a Monday morning quaterbacking wanabe.

Anonymous wrote:

In this recession, it should be easy to recruit officers for the jail. But as long as officers can get obscene amounts of overtime, people will see to it that there aren't enough officers to go around. It's that simple.
I think rent-a-cops should be used at the jail before overtime is allowed. It's hardly San Quentin.

Anonymous- Correctional Officer's have to pass the same background as police officers and are held to the same standard but they do not receive the same pay. Also, it may not be San Quentin but inmates who end up in the big house come from county facilities. If you have ever visited the local facility, you would see that officers are placed in units with 64 to 72 inmates without any barriers! And the inmates are not minimum security!!!!

There are not a lot of people who would find this job appealing. Plus, work 12 hour shifts and go through a long background process, polygraph, psychological and medical exam- So, I hope you can see, it's not that easy! Maybe, if the Humboldt County Correctional Officers were not one of the lowest paid in the state for this profession, we could retain staff and reduce the overtime!

Oh yeah forgot to mention, the Sheriffs office is open 24 hours a day ,seven days a week , 365 days a year. As well as holidays. The D/As office is open Monday through Friday, closed weekends and holidays.

Fred Mangels wrote:

<quoted text>
It's often less expensive to pay overtime than it is to hire more corrections officers.

Agreed. And the Sherrif's Office doesn't do its own hiring of employees. That is handled by County Personnel. Besides, it's the Board of Superviors that freezes vacant positions, which prohibits the filling of them. They know it's less expensive to pay overtime than it is to hire additional officers and pay a complete benefits package on them. But the jail still has to be staffed {as does patrol, dispatch, animal control, civil division, etc.). It's basic math, if there aren't enough officers to supervisor the jail, overtime is incurred. But that has never been the choice of the people who actually work there. Overtime does ONLY affect one's paycheck. Overtime deeply affects one's health, stress level, and family life. The so-called "gravy train" is a monster that can create exhausted employees and broken families. Officers don't want that but it's out of their hands. It's not even in the Sheriff's hands. Place the overtime issue where it belongs: square on the shoulders of the Board of Supervisors.

Oh, and it's scary that Hislop wants to be Sheriff when he clearly doesn't understnad the compexities of the Sheriff's Office's $26 million budget. No thanks Hislop.

Hislop supervises 8 people- Monday through Friday. What the hell does he know about supervising over 300 people and running an office that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? What a joke! I am voting for Downey!

I agree with Anon above but this problem is even bigger than just with the admin decisions of the board and includes other county offices that are law enforcement related.

Although Downey and Hislop each have good qualities, I think running the Sheriff's office is completely out of Hislop's league. I am also not impressed with the negativity and finger pointing of his campaign ads. He does not inspire trust - something a little shady there.

Public safety is the issue and empty rhetoric is not going to win elections any more. A lot of us have had enough and we need experience and leadership right now

I find these comment quite interesting and illuminating. Fred is right on.... again. I can not really believe some one thinks rent a cops will be suitable even if it was legal for the jail. There are many mandated rules that the county and consequently, the sheriff's department has to follow. Mr. Hislop doesn't seem to have a grasp of this. He keeps just trying to paint the current department as shady so that the uninformed voter might vote for him. Not nice.

You are right it is not nice but it is politics as usual. Go Downey.

"Officer, I have been raped!"

"Sorry ma'am, my shift is almost up and the boss is strict about no overtime."

"(sob)..."

"Another officer will be here after they clock in, get briefed, and drive out here. Probably about an hour. Sorry ma'am, it is Hisplop's decision."

"(sob)...)

Actually that would probably be what would happen if you followed Hislops line of thought. But then again, he doesn't really understand what he is talking about.

Take a look at the broad support that is behind Downey. Hilfiker, McBeth, Maples, Sundquist, Ulansey, Russ and lots of others. These people know how to run an organization, if they are backing Downey that's good enough for me. Who does Hislop have behind him? Gallegos and Lovelace, enough said.

Since Hislop is so good in keeping the DA's Office under budget then maybe his talent should stay there..........VOTE FOR MIKE DOWNEY, THE MAN WHO ALREADY KNOWS THE JOB AHEAD. DOWNEY IN THE SHERIFF"S OFFICE AND HISLOP IN THE DA'S OFFICE IS A WIN/WIN FOR THE COUNTY!

I cannot speak for Humboldt County sheriffs but I believe Del Norte County sheriffs under the command of Dean Wilson serve the public as far as I can tell to the best of our interests in public safety by keeping dopers off of the streets. Over eleven years, I feel safer living in Crescent City than Ferndale, California. Grant you 'one' issue that I agree 'overtime' pay is better than waiting for the next available officer to take dispatch calls. I don't mind 'overtime' pay for current officers but I do mind the idea of cops in court rooms as I know I rather get our police and sheriff officers on the streets more than sitting comfortably in a court room. We need dispatches and pencil pushers at times; 24/7, though more cops on the streets is what makes our area safer and more secure to enjoy our recreational activities; shop, dine as well as local banking.

Hislop is not upp for the position.

if payroll is seperate from the budget where does it come from? How is it figured? Who pays for this?

In response to Mr.Garlicky......cops in the courtroom are there for one of two reasons; they are there to testify or to serve as bailiffs. Bailiffs are required by law, testimony is needed for convictions......
IN response to HC CO.....'ol Anonymous doesnt realize or doesnt care about what you have to say......Anonymous is more than likely the same troll always spewing his or her anti-cop vitriol. Anonymous wouldn't last 1 minute locked in 320. What the general public doesn't realize is that not only are the CO's at the jail in a room with up to 72 inmates, they are also LOCKED in those dorms with no keys to get out..........
.......but hey, those CO's sure do love working 70 hour weeks.......